Negotiating with Backbone: Eight Sales Strategies to Defend Your Price and Value

2. The Tells of the Game

Bluffing is a key element of any game of chance with multiple players involved. The same is true in the great game of procurement. A tell is a little sign that another player might give that indicates the nature of his bluff. Salespeople need to recognize a tell for what it is—part of a bluff. It shouldn’t be taken at face value; instead, it should be interpreted by the salesperson as part of the bluff. The procurement professional’s job is to get the best deal from vendors. To accomplish this, many have adopted well-honed tricks of the trade to ensure they do that. It’s not a profession for the fastidious or the faint-hearted. Salespeople must know how to recognize and defend themselves against all the tactics and tricks ...